Tamworth Thunderbolts bounced back to winning form on Saturday night as they begin their run to the State League Division 1 Men’s finals.
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“We’ve got two rounds to go,” coach John Ireland said following the Bolts’ 88-64 win over the Port Macquarie Dolphins.
The Thunderbolts are tracking to finish in the top two, but still have some work to do to ensure they do.
They’ve got the Springwood Scorchers at home on Saturday night, before taking on competition leaders Bankstown Bruins away.
On Saturday night their first quarter set the tone.
“From the get go the boys stepped up,” Ireland said.
“Our defensive pressure and transition game was outstanding and we shot at a very high percentage.”
That translated to a 34-12 lead at the first break.
One of the most pleasing aspects of the performance was their transition play.
A strength for them earlier in the season, Ireland said they had really focused on their transition offence and being more aggressive with the ball.
They probably didn’t go on with it was well as he would have liked, but they got the result, which was the important thing.
“The last couple of years we’ve struggled on their floor. It was good to get a win over there,” Ireland said.
“We just need to focus on making sure we play four quarters like we did the first quarter.”
Kyle Gupton was again outstanding, dropping 34 points, while Rhys Chillingworth scored 16 and Justin Leehy 15. Max Chillingworth was also prominent making his return to the floor.
